Clothes-line holder.



No. 672,763. Patented Apr. 23, I90I.

H. HAFKER.

CLOTHES LINE HOLDER.

(Application filed Jan. 29, 1901. ,(No Model.)

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HENRY HAFKER, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

CLOTHES-LINE HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,763, dated April23, 1901.

7 Application filed January 29, 1901. Serial No. 45,187. LNo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HAFKER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and Improved Clothes-Line Holder, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a device adapted to connectthe ends of a pulley-line in an adjustable manner and so that the linemay be quickly slackened or its ends disconnected and as convenientlyand expeditiously stretched and the ends of the line connected andsafely held in adjusted position.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of the connecting block or medium betweenthe ends of a pulley-line, parts of the line being also shown, the linewhere it passes through the connecting block or medium being in positionfor slackening or tightening. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, thefree end of the line being shown locked in the connecting block ormedium; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the block orconnecting medium for the ends of the line.

A represents a connecting-block for the ends B and B of a pulley-line O.The end B of the pulley-line is attached to one end of the block A,preferably through the medium of an extension 10 at one end, having anaperture 11 formed therein. The opposing end of the pulley-line ispassed through an aperture 12, horizontally produced in the opposite endof the block or connecting medium A, and into a central chamber 13, inwhich chamber a drum 14 is mounted to revolve, the-said drum beingprovided with trunnions 14 held to turn loosely in the side portions ofsaid block. The drum-1 1 is provided with a spiral groove 15, whichgroove decreases in depth in direction of one of its ends, and in thefaces of the chamber 13, which are opposite the peripheral portion ofthe drum 14,

grooves 16 are produced, which receive the coils of the cord or linewhen the line is wound upon the said drum. In addition to these regulargrooves 16 another groove 17 is produced inone face of the chamber 13,and the groove 17 coincides with the groove 15 on the drum. The saidgroove 17 decreases in depth as it approaches the upper face of theblock or connecting medium A. The special groove 17 may and usually doesconnect at its lower portion with an adjacent regular groove 16.

When the line has been coiled around the drum, its coils enter thegrooves or recesses 16 in the wall of the chamber 13 of theconnecting-block A, and as long as the free end of the line B is keptout from the spiral groove 15 in the drum the line may be slackened ortightened, as desired. When the proper adjustment of the line has beenattained, the free end of the line is carried over into the spiralgroove 15 of the drum and the coinciding or corresponding recess in thewall of the chamber 13 of the connecting-block, and when pressure isbrought to bear on the pulley-line the drum will be turned to such anextent and in such a direction that the free end of the line will beclamped between the reduced portion of the spiral groove 15 in the drumand the reduced portion of the recess or groove 17 in the block. Thefree end of the line will thus be held firmly locked to the block. Whenanother adjustment is to be made, it is simply necessary to carry thefree end of the line from out of the groove and recess 15 and 17 overupon the plain surface of the drum, the coils of the line on the drum atthat time being in the recesses or grooves 16 only, and at this time thedrum is free to turn until the line has been lengthened or shortened, asoocasion may demand.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1: A clothes-line holder comprising a connecting-blockadapted to unite the ends of the clothes-line, said block being providedwith a central chamber and a drum mounted to re volve in said chamber,the said drum being provided with a peripheral spiral groove decreasingin depth in direction of one end, a wall of the said chamber beingprovided with a coinciding groove also decreasing in depth in directionof one end, the opposite walls of said chamber being further providedwith grooves adapted to receive a portion of the coils of the line whenthe line is wound upon the drum, as specified.

2. In a clothes-line holder, a connectingblock provided with a centralchamber, means at one end for attachment to an end of the pulley-line,the opposite end of the said block having an opening therein leadinginto the said chamber adapted to receive another end of the pulley-line,a drum mounted to turn in the said chamber, the said drum being providedwith a peripheral spiral groove diminishing in depth in direction of oneof its ends,

a wall of the said chamber of the block having a coinciding groovediminishing in depth in direction of the upper face of the block,opposing Walls of the said chamber being further provided with recessesor grooves adapted to receive portions of the coils of the line when theline is wound upon the said drum, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY HAFKER.

Witnesses:

JOHN MEHRTENS, AREND M. MEYER.

